


here is the deepest secret nobody knows

by wintercreek



Category: due South
Genre: Community: fic_promptly, Engagement, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-02-11
Updated: 2011-02-11
Packaged: 2017-10-15 13:50:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/161453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wintercreek/pseuds/wintercreek
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ray Kowalski, some secrets, and a pair of listening ears.</p>
            </blockquote>





	here is the deepest secret nobody knows

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Helens78's prompt of "due South, Fraser/Kowalski, engagement" at Fic Promptly.

Fraser doesn't keep secrets, exactly, but he also doesn't broadcast personal things to the whole world. That's why it took me so long to figure out where this was going. I guess he thought it was plenty obvious, but I almost didn't get enough evidence to draw a solid conclusion, if you get my drift. Anyhow, we got our act together – obviously – and it's been a good couple of years. Yeah, we fight sometimes, but who doesn't? We work things out. You've seen that.

So Fraser doesn't keep secrets, right? He just waits for people to notice what's been out there, quietly, all along. I knew, when I popped the question, that he'd need something to be quietly not-secretive about. So I got us rings. That's right, I am a sap. But a happy one.

I knew the jewelers I used when I was with Stella were not going to cut it. That meant leg work. I don't know how many lunches I missed, running my mysterious errands. Fraser probably kept count. Eventually I found a great one, run by this couple. He works the counter, she makes the jewelry. They didn't bat an eye at my request. Or even when I gave them ᓇᒡᓕᒋᕙᒋᑦ, the Inuktitut for "I love you," to engrave inside the band! Don't look at me like that, I know my pronunciation's not great. I got a gold band for him, 'cause it seemed right. All those gold buttons on his uniform, and his gold heart. For me, silver. Complimentary, I thought, plus I am far more likely to lose it, or bang it up, or whatever.

We were out at dinner when I asked. Nowhere special. I couldn't wait, with those rings burning holes in my pockets. After he said yes and I gave him his ring, he made this face, all teasing and mischievous, and asked me what was in my other pocket. "I know it can't just be that you're happy to see me," he said. "You _do_ have something in your pocket." I pulled it out and opened the box, he slid the ring on my finger – right hand, for now – and even after all that, it wasn't real until that moment. Something cold and heavy on my finger, and on his, and bam! I'll tell you, I got the shakes a little bit, in a good way. At least I wasn't the only one choked up.

You wanna see? Sure, here, check it out. Wha– _no,_ I am not going to tell you what I said. That's private. You wanna hear me being mushy, you can come to the wedding. Who knows when or where it's going to be. Maybe Canada, maybe Massachusetts, maybe we'll wait until Illinois joins the modern era of equality. It'll happen some day. Yeah, you can be involved, I promise. Man, it's good to tell someone all this. I'm lousy at keeping secrets.

And you know what else tells me that Fraser and I are gonna work out? I am sitting here, having kept my mouth shut to most of the outside world, finally telling our engagement story to a wolf. Ah, c'mere, you. No licking though.

Let's go find Fraser. I want to clink our rings together in front of Turnbull and see if he catches on.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [The Voice Under All Silences (With All Good Intent Remix)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/178906) by [helens78](https://archiveofourown.org/users/helens78/pseuds/helens78)




End file.
